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Asia markets wrap up last trading day of 2023 with small declines; China stocks inch higher as tech firms continue to rise

This is CNBC's live blog covering Asia-Pacific markets.

General view of electric screen of Shanghai stock shares and Shenzheng shares are seen in front of high rise modern commercial and financial buildings at Lujiazui in Shanghai, China on July 31, 2023.
Ying Tang | Nurphoto | Getty Images

Asia-Pacific markets fell on the last trading day of 2023, with China stocks being the sole exception as the country's tech companies continued their advance.

Chinese consumer electronics company Xiaomi on Thursday detailed plans to enter China's oversaturated electric-vehicle market. Hong Kong shares of the company fell more than 4% by afternoon trading.

The company seeks to compete with auto giants Tesla and Porsche with a car model Xiaomi says it spent more than 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) to develop.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng index dipped 0.20%, while China's CSI 300 index closed 0.49% higher at 3,431.11.

China and Hong Kong indexes rallied more than 2% each in the previous session, but were still set to be the biggest percentage losers for the year among major Asia-Pacific markets.

China's CSI 300 index is down 11.8% for the year, while the Hang Seng has plunged 14% in 2023.

Japan's Nikkei 225, which ended down 0.22% at 33,464.17, wrapped up the year with gains of over 28%, making it Asia's top-performing market.

The broader Topix closed 0.19% higher at 2,366.39, having surged over 25% in 2023.

South Korea markets were shut on Friday, with the Kospi up 18.7% for the year and the Kosdaq clocking 27.5% in gains.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index closed 0.31% lower at 7,590.80, cooling off from two straight sessions of gains, but was still up 7.84% for the year.


Overnight, the S&P 500 finished marginally higher Thursday, closing in on a new all-time high in the penultimate trading day of what's been a strong year for stocks.

The broad market index added 0.04% to finish at 4,783.35, putting it within striking distance of its highest closing level of at 4,796.56 set in January 2022.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.14% to notch a fresh record closing high. The Nasdaq Composite inched down 0.03%.

— CNBC's Evelyn Cheng, Samantha Subin and Alex Harring contributed to this report

Correction: This story has been updated to say that South Korea markets are closed for the day.

China’s Xiaomi unveils its first EV as it looks to compete with Porsche, Tesla

Chinese consumer electronics company Xiaomi revealed Thurs., Dec. 28, 2023, its long-awaited electric car, but declined to share its price or specific release date.
CNBC | Evelyn Cheng

China's consumer electronics company Xiaomi on Thursday detailed plans to enter the country's oversaturated electric-vehicle market and compete with automaker giants Tesla and Porsche with a car model it says it spent more than 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) to develop.

The model, known as Xiaomi SU7, "is in trial production and it will hit the domestic market in a few months," CEO Lei Jun said in a Tuesday post on the X social media platform, formerly known as Twitter. "The price has not been finalized yet."

Pronounced "Sue Qi" in Mandarin, the Xiaomi SU7 beats Porsche's Taycan and Tesla's Model S on acceleration and other metrics, Lei said during a three-hour presentation Thursday.

Read the full story here.

— Evelyn Cheng

CNBC Pro: Fund managers turn cautious on European stocks, BofA survey shows — here's why

Fund managers have struck a cautious tone on the prospects of the European economy — and stock market — going into 2024, but see some opportunities for investors.

A recent survey by Bank of America showed that 68% of professional investors questioned see upside for European equities in 2024, however 65% see near-term downside. BofA surveyed 254 participants with a total of $691 billion in assets under management.

It comes after a bumpy year for European stocks which saw the Stoxx 600 index rise 12.65% as of Dec. 28.

CNBC Pro subscribers can read about the fund managers' expectations here.

— Amala Balakrishner

CNBC Pro: Piper Sandler reveals its 3 top biotech picks for 2024 – and gives one 90% upside

Piper Sandler has named three small and medium-sized pharmaceutical stocks as its "top picks" for 2024, thanks to their attractive valuations, product approvals/launch pipeline, innovation plans and clinical data readouts for the year ahead.

The investment bank's optimism on biotechnology stocks comes as the sector is finally showing signs of a recovery.

"After another difficult year, there are signs that biotech is recovering into 2024. A pause or even reversal in interest rate hikes is constructive for biotech financing and M&A (mergers & acquisitions) remains active," Piper Sandler's analysts said as they revealed their top stocks.

subscribers

— Amala Balakrishner